IMDb RATING
7.5/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
A blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.A blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.A blue-collar worker on New York's depressed waterfront finds his life changed after he saves a woman attempting suicide.
- Awards
- 7 wins
Olga Baclanova
- Lou -- Wife of Andy
- (as Baclanova)
Richard Alexander
- Lou's Sweetheart
- (uncredited)
May Foster
- Mrs. Crimp
- (uncredited)
George Irving
- Night Court Judge
- (uncredited)
John Kelly
- Sailor Barfly
- (uncredited)
Charles McMurphy
- Policeman
- (uncredited)
Guy Oliver
- The Crimp
- (uncredited)
Bob Reeves
- Court Bailiff
- (uncredited)
Lillian Worth
- Andy's Girl
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia'Sugar' Steve tries to light Mae's cigarette from the same match he used to light Bill's and his own cigarettes while she is mending Bill's shirt. Mae blows out the match and says, "What are you trying to do, bring me more bad luck?" He must light a new match for her cigarette. At the time, "three on a match" was considered bad luck. Soldiers during the Crimea War believed that if three soldiers lit their cigarettes from the same match, one of the three would be killed, or alternately the third soldier to use the match would be shot. The superstition persisted with soldiers through World War II.
- Alternate versionsVideo version includes new score by Gaylord Carter.
- ConnectionsEdited into Catalogue of Ships (2008)
Featured review
What a treat this tough, realistic movie is. George Bancroft, Betty Compson, and Olga Baclanova are all great is this cynical yet tender story of the waterfront.
Director Josef von Sternberg fills a simple tale with pathos and great atmosphere. Tough stoker Bancroft rescues a girl (Compson) from a suicide attempt and "marries" her for a night of fun. But he gets involved in a web of murder, thievery, and drunkenness.
When Norma Desmond said "we had faces then" in Sunset Boulevard (and yes I know it was Gloria Swanson), Betty Compson was at the top of the list. With her big eyes and crooked mouth, Compson was expert at expressing emotion with a twist of the mouth, a flick of the eyelashes. She is wonderful here as Mae, the waterfront gal. Bancroft is also terrific as the big lug who falls hard for Mae. And Baclanova, best remembered for "Freaks" is a dynamo as the wronged wife.
Great scenes of water and fog and birds serve as a backdrop to the drama that enfolds.
Bancroft and Compson won Oscar nominations in the early days of the award and are pretty much forgotten now, but they serve up sparks here in this terrific film. A must see!
Director Josef von Sternberg fills a simple tale with pathos and great atmosphere. Tough stoker Bancroft rescues a girl (Compson) from a suicide attempt and "marries" her for a night of fun. But he gets involved in a web of murder, thievery, and drunkenness.
When Norma Desmond said "we had faces then" in Sunset Boulevard (and yes I know it was Gloria Swanson), Betty Compson was at the top of the list. With her big eyes and crooked mouth, Compson was expert at expressing emotion with a twist of the mouth, a flick of the eyelashes. She is wonderful here as Mae, the waterfront gal. Bancroft is also terrific as the big lug who falls hard for Mae. And Baclanova, best remembered for "Freaks" is a dynamo as the wronged wife.
Great scenes of water and fog and birds serve as a backdrop to the drama that enfolds.
Bancroft and Compson won Oscar nominations in the early days of the award and are pretty much forgotten now, but they serve up sparks here in this terrific film. A must see!
- How long is The Docks of New York?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Im Hafen von New York
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 16 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content